Hoisting and conveying apparatus



(No Model.

J. EMPSON. HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

No. 594,987. Patented Dec. 7,1897

UNITED STATES PATENT 'rrroin.

JOHN HOWARD,EMPSON, OF LONOMONT, OOLORADOV HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,987, dated December '7, 1897.

Application filed February 4, 1897. Serial No. 621,977, .(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HOWARD EMP- SON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lon gmont,in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting and Conveying Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hoisting apparatus for canning factories; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a simple and efficient hoister and conveying apparatus for hoisting and conveying one or more crates of canned goods to and from the cooking-cylinders and depositing them at predetermined points; second, to provide an adjustable stopping mechanism for stopping the crates at desired points. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my hoisting and conveying apparatus; Fig. 2, a plan view, partially in section, of the hoisting mechanism; Fig. 3, a side elevation, partially in section, of the adjustable stop mechanism; Fig. 4, a plan view of the adjustable stoppingdog; and Fig. 5, a side and end elevation of a double-wheel-carrying trolley provided with a norma11y-operated brake, these two views illustrating a modification of the single-wheel trolley I preferably use and show in Figs. 1 and 3.

Similar letters and figures of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

;. Referring to Fig. 1, A designates an overhead floor or roof, B the fioor or roof joist, and O a plank ceiling. To this ceilingI secure in any convenient manner two pieces of joist D. A fragment in section of the ends of these joists is shown in Fig. 2. To these joists I secure by lag-screws E a bed-plate F, in which is journaled a winding-drum G, which has an integral friction-band H and also an end flange I. This winding-drum is loosely mounted on a shaft J, the bearing ends K of which are turned eccentric to the portion of the shaft which supports the winding-drum.- These ends are journaled in boxes L, which are bolted to the bed-plate by bolts M. On each side of the boxes a projection N isformed,

to be moved toward the friction-band as the brake wears. Back of the angle-block a projection U is cast on the bed-plate, which is provided with aset-screw which is turned against the angle-block and holds the brake from slipping away from any position in which it may be set. On the opposite side of the winding-drum from the brake a paper friction-pinion V is secured to a shaft V, which is j ournaled in boxes W, arranged on the bed plate. The opposite end of the shaft V carries a drive-pulley X, which is connected by a belt Y to a source of power. The frictionpinion is arranged in operative relation to the face of the friction-band. Upon one of the eccentric ends of the winding-drums shaft I secure a lever Z, to the opposite end of which I secure one end of a contracting-spring 1, the opposite end of which is secured to the lower end of a lever 2, which is secured to the ceiling. I also secure to the lower end of the lever Z one end of a rope 3, which is the winding-drums operative rope. This rope extends along the hoisting apparatus within reach of the operator, and the opposite end is passed througha support 4 and has a weight 5, heavy enough to keep it taut, attached to it. This end may, however, be otherwise secured to any suitable support. Along the ceiling at intervals I secure hangers 6 bylag-screws 7. These hangers are shown in sectional elevation in Fig. 3. To the foot of these hangers I secure by bolts 8 a rail 9, upon which a trolley-wheel 10 is adapted to run- This trolleywheel has freely pivoted to it a yoke and hook 11, which depends from it. Upon this hook I hang any suitable form of safety hoistingv blocks 12, there being several kinds in common use, and to the lower hook of the blocks ing-drum against the brake. The safety-grip I hook the can-crate 13, which holds from two hundred to three hundred filled cans, which are lifted and carried to and deposited in a cooking-cylinder, and then when cooked are lifted out and deposited at some predetermined point,usually in a cooling hole or chamber, which is not shown. The rope 14 from the hoisting-blocks extends to and is connected to the winding-drum.

- 15 designates the safety lever or grip of the hoisting-blocks. I also arrange close to the rail and parallel with it a line of pipe 16, which is supported by passing through a hole 17, formed to receive it in the hangers. In Fig. l I illustrate one end of this pipe secured to an angle-plate 18, which is secured by a bolt 19 to one of the joists that support the bed-plate, collars 20 being placed on the pipe and pinned to it, one on each side of the angle-plate. This pipe may be secured in any convenient manner; but it should preferably be supported to partially rotate in the hangers. At predetermined points along the track I secure to the pipe stop-dogs 21. These dogs are shown plainly in Figs. 3 and 4. They are secured to the pipe by a set-screw 22. They comprise two arms 23 and 24, extendin g in approximately opposite directions from a hub 25. One arm 23 is long enough to reach from the pipe across the track and across the path of the trolley, as shown in Fig. 3. The opposite end is connected to two pull-ropes 26 and 27, one of which, 26, extends up over a pulley 28, which is pivoted in a yoke adapted to be secured to the ceiling and extends down to within reach of the operator. The other rope, 27, hangs directly down from the arm. If the rope 26 is pulled, the arm 24 is raised and the arm 23 thrown across the track in the path of the trolley and stops it. If rope 27 is pulled, the arm 24 is pulled down and the arm 23 is raised out of the path of the trolley, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, allowing the trolley to pass. As the dogs are fixed to the pipe by their set-screw the pipe moves with them. The dogs and pulley can easily be shifted along the pipe and track and ceiling and set wherever desired.

The operation of myimproved hoisting apparatus is as follows: The driving-pulley and friction-pinion are kept rotatingfrom a source of power, and when it is desired to raise a crate of filled cans either into or from a cooking-chamber the blocks are hooked to the crate. The operator then grasps the operating-rope and pulls on it to draw the lever Z toward the crate, as this lever is secured to the eccentric ends of the winding drums shaft. The shaft is turned in its bearings and the winding-drum is thrown against the friction-pinion and causes it to rotate to wind the rope from the hoisting-blocks and raise the crate. When the crate is raised high enough, the operative rope is released and the spring 1 draws the lever Z back and turns the winding-drum shaft to throw the wind of the blocks holds the crate from lowering when the winding drum is stopped. The crate and trolley is then pushed along on the rail to where it is desired to lower it to the floor or into a cooling-chamber. At this point a stop-dog should be located, and the operator throws the dog across the track in front of the trolley and stops it, when the crate can be lowered by means of the safety-grip on the blocks.

I illustrate but one crate connected to the winding-drum and but one hoisting-block, but several hoisting-blocks and crates may be used at the same time and the windingdrum will lift them all at the same time and each can be raised and lowered at a predetermined point between the cooking-cylinders.

In Fig. 5 I illustrate a modification of the trolley block and dog. It comprises a twowheeled trolley connected together by a frame 29, to which is pivoted between the wheels a two-armed lever 30, having a wedge 31 at one end, which fits close to the tread of the rear wheel 32. At the top of this lever two ropes 33 and 34 are secured, one of which extends to the top of an adjacent arm 35, formed 011 the frame through a hole in its top to the top of a second arm 36, projecting from the rear end of the frame both upward and outward. From this lever the rope passes through a hole in this lever and hangs down within the reach of the operator. The rope 34 extends through a hole in the top of an arm 37, which extends upward and forward from the front of the frame and drops down to within reach of the operator. A slot 38 is made in the lever for its pivoting-hole for the pin 39, and when the rope 33 is pulled the lever is raised to the position shown in the dotted line 40 and the trolley can be pushed along the track; but when the rope 33 is released and the rope 34 is pulled on the lever is drawn down on its pivoting-pin and its wedge end moves between the tread of the wheel and the track and blocks and stops the trolley from moving.

41 designates a hook pivoted to the lower end of the frame 30, and 42 a fragment of a track upon which the trolley is mounted. Below the track and in close proximity to it I secure a projecting block 43 to the side of the trolley-frame. This block prevents the rear wheel from raising from the track when the wedge is thrown under its tread. There are a number of changes which can be made in this hoisting and conveying apparatus. Consequently I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction herein shown and described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination in a hoisting and conveying apparatus, of a friction winding-drum and operative friction pinion mounted loosely on an eccentric shaft, a lever connected to an eccentric portion of said shaft, a brake operatively connected to said winding drum, a spring connected to said lever adapted to normally hold said winding-drum in contact with said brake, and an operative rope connected to said lever adapted to move the lever to throw the winding-drum against said friction operating pinion, with a common form of safety hoisting-blocks connected to said winding-drum, a trolley and a supporting-track, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a hoisting and conveying apparatus, of the safety hoistingblocks, the friction hoister and means connected with said hoister including an eccentric shaft, a lever depending therefrom, a spring-controlled brake and an operative rope for operating said safety hoisting-blocks, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the safety hoisting-block, of the friction winding-drum, the overhead track, the combined trolley-wheel and hook thereon supporting said safety hoisting-blocks, the brackets supporting said track and a support extending along the track ap proximately parallel with it, and a two-armed lever arranged on the said support and adapted to be manually moved at will into and out of the path of said trolley and across the track and away from it, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a winding-drum having a friction-band and loosely mounted upon a shaft having eccentric ends, a bed-plate for supporting said winding-drum and shaft, a lever secured to said shaft, a friction-pinion mounted on said bed-plate in operative relation to said friction-band, an adjustable brake secured to said bed-plate in operative relation to saidfriction-band,a contracting-spring connected at one end to the lower end of said lever andat the opposite end to a fixed support and adapted to normally hold said friction-band against said brake and means for manually throwing said winding-drum into operative engagement with said friction-pinion, with the safety hoisting-blocks, the track, the trolley and the stopping-dogs, substantially as described. I

5. The combination of the hangers and the track with a pipe or rod supported by said hanger and arranged parallel with said track,

with one or more two-armed levers secured to said pipe or rod, having two pull-ropes fastened to one arm, one of which depends from the arm and the other passes over a pulley placed above the arm and then depends below the arm within reach of an operator, whereby said lever is partially rotated and the opposite arm is thrown on or off fromthe track, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a hoisting and conveying apparatus for a canning factory, of the hangers, the track, the trolley and the trolley-stops and supporting-rod, with the safety hoisting-block, and the friction winding-drum operatively connected to said hoisting-blocks, the automatic brake and means for starting the winding-drum to raise a crate of canned goods and convey the same to a predetermined point along said track, substantially as described.

7. The combination in a trolley and track of a pair of sheaves, a frame pivotally connecting said sheaves together, a hook depending from said frame, a two-armed lever or bell-crank pivoted between said sheaves having on oneend of said lever a Wedge-shaped end arranged in proximity to the tread of the track and the rear sheave and oppositely-disposed pull-ropes and suitable supportingstandards arranged to move the lever when one rope is pulled to raise said wedge-shaped end of said lever away from the tread of said sheave and rail and when the opposite rope is pulled to throw the wedge-shaped end in contact with the tread of the sheave and track, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the double-sheaved trolley with the track, the hoisting-blocks, the winding-drum, the locking-lever having the wedge end and the oppositely-arranged and supported pull-ropes, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN HOWARD EMPSON.

Witnesses:

J 0. A. FOWLER, P. A. SIMMONS. 

